Things Do and Don't Change
by ImaginationRevelation
Summary: Terra, Starfire, Beast Boy, Aqualad, Raven and Robin reflect on their romantic entanglements.
1. Terra

Of course, of course she remembers him. How could she not? He is loveable, adorable with his green skin, his fang on the left side of his lip, and his sense of humor.

"Brain freeze," she chuckles to herself. She misses his sense of humor. No one really understands him or his jokes, but they always made her laugh. They still do.

When she was a Titan, she was closer to him than to all the others. She knows what it feels like to be misunderstood and always underestimated.

She cannot stop reminiscing about the good times. She misses the way he always made her feel better no matter what. She misses the way he would turn into a green puppy or kitten and curl up her when she was feeling sad or lonely.

He was the one who had faith in her when she apprenticed herself to Slade. He always knew that she was stronger than she looked. She proved it from time to time. Her belief in her strength never wavered until now.

She had a chance earlier to go back to the Titans, to go back to him, but she chose not to. She chose to stay in the shadows and stay out of the fight. She chose to pretend that she has forgotten him, but she knows she can never do that.

She sits in the library of her new school, regretting her decision to stay here. She thought that she would never see him again. She was wrong. She saw him and she crumbled inside. He has that effect on her. He makes her weak, yet strong.

It took all of her will power to say "no " to him, which she thought to herself showcased her strength in a certain way since it was a very difficult choice to make. A thought keeps tugging in the back of her mind. It says that the better, stronger thing to do was - and still is - to rejoin the Titans, to go fight evil or at least, to go back to him.

She hurts without him. He hurts without her, but she does not know it. She thinks that keeping her distance will benefit both of them, but instinct tells her that it is just going to throw her into despair. For some reason, she chooses to ignore her instinct.

But instinct does not give up easy. Instinct makes itself heard. It persuades the brain to force her to remember him. Memories of her being with him dance across her mind. She wants to shout out in joy because those memories were the happiest in her life. She also wants to cry because she fears she can never go back. She has given up another chance to be with him.

She becomes very unfocused. Her friends lose interest in her. She knows that he would never. He would always be there. She wishes she could be there for him.

She realizes that what she has chosen is not for her. She decides to go to him again, one last time for one last chance. She does not know the outcome, but she remains hopeful. She knows that the old Beast Boy would let her in again, would give her another shot, would give them another shot. She wonders if things change, but then again, maybe they do not.


	2. Starfire

On one side of the city, a blue eyed blonde girl wants to fix a broken relationship. On an island that houses the tower shaped like a T, a green eyed red-haired alien girl wants to break a relationship.

Friend Robin or rather, Boyfriend Robin, is a fantastic significant other, but she does not want to be with him anymore. She had a crush on him for the longest time and she waited for him to make a move. When they finally formed a romantic relationship, she was not one hundred percent devoted. Waiting for him has diminished her love for him. She always thought it would be another way: waiting for Robin would strengthen her love for him, but that is not how it came to be in these circumstances.

It seems that his dedication to the city is more important to him than his dedication to her. It seems that no girl will be his priority. She wonders that maybe she is the one who will never be his priority. He does try. He makes a wonderful effort, but she is simply not satisfied, not happy.

She also desires another, one from a different world. One who would really appreciate her strangeness because he himself is a bit strange. His best friends are marine folk. Others find him and his way of life odd, but she finds this intriguing since she, too, has customs that people do not seem to grasp.

She knows that she cannot keep stringing Robin along. She has to break up with him. She cannot keep up the charade any longer. The sooner she makes a conclusion to their romance, the better it will be for the both of them and the faster they can recover.

She attempts to practice breaking up on her own reflection, something she picked up from an Earth television program. She admits that at first, she found this practice to be peculiar, but it has become most helpful right now in this situation.

She looks at her reflection, stares into her own eyes and begins, "Robin, we must converse. It is most urgent. I wish to up the break with you."

"No, that is not correct," she says aloud to herself.

She endeavors again. "Robin, I wish to terminate our romantic relationship because things have changed."


	3. Beast Boy

He tries his best to forget the blue eyed blonde girl. He goes to his friends for advice and he listens to it. He tries to pretend that she does not exist, that she has not come back. It is difficult, very difficult. He tries to move on.

He starts sensing particular feelings when he is a company of a certain quiet purple haired girl, one who does not find him that funny, one who is constantly armed with a sarcastic remark. She is so unlike him and yet that is what makes her special. It is a thrill when he makes her laugh.

They have gone out a few times. A date here, a date there. It took a lot of convincing. She did not believe him at first when he confessed his feelings. She thought he was making another joke, but who could blame her? Jokes were his specialty. That and worshiping tofu.

He tries becoming interested in doing things that she likes. He tries meditating with her just to spend some time with her and to clear his mind. It works for a while, but the blue eyed blonde girl keeps creeping up into his thoughts. He shoos them aside and they subside for a while.

His thoughts keep wandering into parts unknown, always to the day when he last saw her. He cannot and does not believe that she has forgotten him, but he knows that there is no way that he can prove it. It can only be confirmed if she admits it, but he feels that she might never. If she really wanted to, she would have done it already.

He thinks about that day a lot. He knows it is not healthy to dwell on it. He knows he will not come up with better answers to why it happened the way it happened, but he cannot stop. He goes into his room, tries blasting music to occupy his mind, but it still wanders. It gets lost. He needs to buy a leash for his mind. He laughs at his joke. Terra would enjoy it.

He comes to the realization that he must stop dating Raven. He does like her a lot, but if he truly liked her, he would stop thinking about Terra. Since Terra is the only thing on his mind, he should let Raven go. It is the right thing to do. It is the fair thing to do. Raven deserves the best. She deserves to love and be loved the same. She should not be second or tied for first place.

He makes up his mind and leaves his room to find Raven. He tells her everything: his thoughts, his feelings, his realization. He wants her to understand that he does not want things to get far and then deteriorate. She is hurt, but she understands and thanks him for his honesty. They hug and separate, knowing that their friendship is going to last forever.

He feels relieved, at peace when he leaves her room. He walks around the Tower, trying to process everything. He finds his way to his room and makes his way to the window. He looks out and encouters a surprise - a blue eyed blonde girl floating on a rock, smiling at him.

'She remembers,' he tells himself while opening the window so Terra can come in, so they can continue from where they paused. Things do not always change.


	4. Aqualad

She tells him that she has terminated her relationship with Robin. He is stunned, flustered to learn that she is infatuated with him. He feels nervous, but at the same, happy. He cannot deny that he has the same feelings for her, but he cannot help but be cautious because he does not want to invoke Robin's wrath.

He is flattered because he was never a chick magnet. He is also confused because this is not the type of thing she does. She tells him that waiting is pointless. It does not always strengthen the bond. Sometimes it weakens it. She also tells him that she knew that he would not make the first move since he is a little timid when it comes to girls. He apologizes for his meekness, but she reassures him that he is just oblivious, that he was always a 'magnet for the chicks.'

He chuckles. He thinks she is very cute. She is from a different world just like him. She comes from an unusual planet and he hails from the sea. She appreciates his roots while he is grateful for her appreciation. In turn, he welcomes her into his arms and his life.

He forgets his fears concerning Robin; he only wants to focus on the princess, wrapped in his arms like a gift from the heavens.

In his whole life, he could have never imagined that a girl like her would be interested in him. Yes, she claims that he is handsome, but he has never noticed it; he has never given much thought to his looks. Yes, he is a hero and ladies love heroes, but he was always so busy. He never had the time for romantic liaisons, but this time, it is different. She understands him since they are both different and heroes.

He has never had a girlfriend, but he smiles to himself, thinking that things do change.


	5. Raven

She sits in her room alone; others tend to stay away from it. They call it dark, gloomy, and creepy. She loves it. She finds comfort in it. She tries to piece everything that has happened between her and Beast Boy. She is not angry. She harbors neither negative feelings nor thoughts. She does understand why he broke it off. She is thankful that he was honest with her. Their friendship will survive.

But it still hurts just a little. Right now, she cannot be distracted by her books or meditation. She keeps thinking about the fall of their romance and she does not know why she does. She does not want to; she wants to move on. She knows that this is how it is meant to be. She recalls her mottos: "whatever happens happens" and "everything happens for a reason."

She remembers the times that they shared, the memories they made. She remembers holding hands and the dates. She remembers the kisses. She remembers him making a wonderful effort. She remembers meditating with him and reading with him. She remembers him being very quiet, very unlike him. She remembers doing things that he likes such as playing video games. She even once tried tofu and swore it off forever. She remembers laughing at his jokes or just at him.

But she knows that Terra was always on his mind. She could not compete with her because Beast Boy and Terra have an interesting story and more in common. They are soul mates.

Raven lets one tear cascade down her cheek. She composes herself and decides to seek the one who is also dealing with the same kind of loss. This time, she will not bottle up her emotions. She does not want a repeat of what happened when she did not admit her fear. That was a nightmare and she prefers bittersweet dreams.

She walks down the hall. She notices that his door is ajar. She sees him inside, perfecting his weapons. She notices how concentrated he is. He makes it seem like he does not want to be bothered, but she can tell that he wants to talk with someone, anyone, especially one who will understand.

She pushes his door open and he looks up. They stare into each other's eyes for a while. Their gazes summarize their troubles. She sits down on his bed; he does not object. They sit in silence for a while. The silence does not trouble them. Instead, it comforts and calms them.

They look at each other again. He takes a deep breath and he pours out his feelings and thoughts. She shares her trouble with him. They find comfort in each other. They find comfort in the fact that they both are in the same position. They hug it out. He thanks her for being a shoulder to cry and for listening to him.

"That's what friends are for," she tells him.

She reciprocates with her gratitude. He repeats her response the same way he said it when they were fighting Trigon. She smiles. Their friendship is as stronger than ever. They will always have each other. That will not change.


	6. Robin

It has been a couple of days since Starfire broke up with him. He has not left his room for those days. It has been two since Raven has come into his room to talk to him. After speaking with her, he felt himself become lighter, but he felt something else.

He begins to harbor romantic sentiments for Raven. He finds this odd. They are friends, but that is not a good enough excuse not to tell her because friends do fall in love. Look at him and Starfire, Terra and Beast Boy.

He feels like he may not be good enough for her, but he casts those thoughts aside. That is just post-breakup speak. His heart is still a little raw. It was healing itself slowly, but it picked up pace after he realized his feelings for Raven.

He wonders if confessing his feelings for her would ruin his friendship with Beast Boy, but he also doubts it since Beast Boy has moved on with Terra. He wonders if his friendship with Star would be wrecked, but he does not think too much about it. After all, she is the one who broke it off to be with Aqualad.

The more he realizes he loves Raven, the more he wonders why he has not felt these feelings before. He is the one who calms her down. He does not infuriate her unlike Beast Boy. He is the one that she trusts the most, the one she always talks to. They are perfect for each other.

He sits with his thoughts and fiddles with his gadgets, trying to eliminate the regret forming inside his mind. There is no point in regretting anything right now. He has a whole life in front of him and he will not sit around and wait to make his move. That was the mistake with Star, but then again was waiting a mistake? If they truly were meant for each other, everything would have worked out. Everything would have fallen into place. Waiting would have strengthened their love.

He shakes his head, tossing away those thoughts. Raven is not Star. Approaching Raven might be a road less traveled, a road many do not comprehend, but he does. He understands Raven.

She would not want a fake. He is going to be himself. He knows she will appreciate it. He is listening to his brain and his heart, trying to make sense of everything. They both say to follow his instinct. That is a first. They finally agree on something. He takes it as a positive sign.

His instinct tells him to make a move. The sooner, the better. If she rejects him, he can move on faster. If she becomes his girlfriend, they will have quite an adventure ahead of them. He trusts his instinct. It is what has kept him alive for so long.

He finally leaves his room. With his determination leading the way, he heads toward her room. It is vacant so he heads to the roof, where he finds her alone. Oddly enough, she is not meditating. She is just sitting there. She notices that she has company. She turns around and their eyes make contact. His heart leaps. She invites him to sit with her. She mentions how beautiful the view from their tower is. He tells her that the view does not compare to her. She is surprised by his declaration. He kisses her and she kisses him back. He smiles. Some things do change.


End file.
